Every time we visit Hobart, we say “we could live here”. It’s one of our favourite cities in Australia.

Feeling that sense of adventure beginning to build again is a deep, energising feeling we lean into as we head off on our first flight this year in 2022. Our travels have been hampered by Covid lockdowns and we’re keen to step out of the safety of home for a small adventure.

This trip is a simple four night immersion into the culture and food of this fabulous city on the small island of Tasmania.

We arrive to rain. That’s Hobart. Every time we have been to Tasmania, it’s a little cooler than anticipated. I fear I may not have packed enough warm clothes, but there’s always shopping……..

A central and very comfortable apartment at Salamanca Inn greets us. Highly recommended for its comfort and location.

Hobart

There’s something about Hobart that feels so interesting. Maybe it’s the way the city wraps around the harbour, how Mount Wellington looms at the back of the city, often disappearing behind cloud or the impact of its colonial and indigenous history. It’s a city small enough to explore on foot, but offers layer upon layer of history, culture and food. Everywhere you turn, there’s statues depicting a story. Just our thing.

A Little History First

Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia’s second-oldest capital city after Sydney. Its early development were shaped by whaling, shipbuilding, trade and the convicts, with the Derwent River acting as the city’s transport hub. Many of the sandstone buildings from the early 19th century are still there, giving the waterfront and inner suburbs a distinctly historical and old-world feel.

Statues tell silent stories.

So much to do in Hobart!

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Right in the heart of the waterfront precinct, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery offers a fabulous place to wander at your leisure. Every time we come to Hobart, we visit a different section of the Museum, taking our time and soaking up the history, art, artifacts and everything that makes Tasmania what it is today. The exhibitions cleverly weave together Tasmania’s natural history, Antarctic connections, and colonial past.

MONA

A visit to Museum of Old and New Art is practically a Hobart rite of passage. Set dramatically on the banks of the Derwent, MONA is bold, confronting, and sometimes baffling – in the best way. The subterranean galleries feel more like an experience than a traditional museum. You don’t just “see” art here; you react to it, you feel it.

The best way to get to Mona is via the Derwent River on the Mona Ferry, which departs regularly from the ferry terminal and takes approximately 20-25 minutes.

Choices to eat and drink at MONA are many.

You can choose from casual bites, wine tastings, bars and restaurants scattered throughout the site. We opted for lunch at the Faro Bar & Restaurant, which sits above the river with sweeping views across the water. The setting is spectacular, but it doesn’t overshadow the food. Beautifully presented dishes showcase Tasmania’s outstanding produce, complemented by local wines.

Or, choose one of the cosy bars to relax and enjoy a brew while waiting for the next ferry home.

Narryna, Battery Point

The Narryna Heritage Museum, showcases a beautifully preserved Georgian merchant’s house offering a fascinating glimpse into early colonial life. Built between 1835 and 1840 by Captain Andrew Haig, a Scottish sea captain, merchant and whaler.

Behind the polished façade of household life at Narryna lies a very different history – that of the dozens of female convict servants who kept the home functioning day to day. Assigned directly from convict ships arriving from England, Scotland and Ireland, they worked as cooks, laundresses, nursery maids and domestic servants. Their days were defined by relentless physical labour: carrying water, scrubbing clothes by hand, cooking over open fires and caring for children, often in difficult conditions and far from everything familiar.

It’s the contrast between historical merchant ambition and wealth, and the unseen and unrewarded labour that gives Narryna its real depth.

Mawson’s Hut Replica

Down by the docks, the Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum is a must-see and a quietly powerful reminder of Tasmania’s strong Antarctic ties. It sits unassuming on the waterfront, easy to walk past, yet inside it tells one of the most extraordinary stories of exploration.

The museum is a full-scale replica of the hut used by Sir Douglas Mawson and his Australasian Antarctic Expedition team between 1911 and 1914. Stepping inside is like stepping back in time—the cramped living quarters, basic equipment and stripped-back conditions immediately convey the isolation and grit of early Antarctic life. It is hard to imagine enduring months in such an unforgiving environment while undertaking scientific work that would expand understanding of the continent.

One of the most memorable elements is the role of the sled dogs, brought from Greenland. Essential for transport and survival, they hauled supplies across the ice and became trusted companions in an otherwise brutal and isolating world.

Hobart’s Harbour & Antarctic Connection

Hobart is one of the world’s leading Antarctic gateway cities and an active harbour for vessels of many kinds, including the finishing line of the iconic Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It’s also a vital departure point for Australian and international Antarctic expeditions, with scientists, researchers, supplies and equipment regularly passing through on their way south

Harbour-Side Dining

Down on Hobart’s waterfront, the area around the docks is a hub for eating well with very little effort required. There are plenty of restaurants along the harbour, but also a row of seafood takeaway outlets where you can grab fresh fish and chips straight off the wharf. On a good day, it’s one of the simplest pleasures in Hobart—take your meal, find a spot along the edge of the water, and sit watching the harbour activity drift past, weather permitting.

Battery Point

Wandering through Battery Point is one of the simplest pleasures in Hobart. We love taking time to explore its narrow streets, with well-preserved cottages alongside elegant old homes, and with splashes of colour. It’s an easy place to slow down and just take in the details. What makes it special is the way the past and present sit so comfortably together here with heritage architecture now accommodating everyday life, still lived in and enjoyed. It shows how Hobart has evolved without losing its character.

Culinary & Pub Walking Tour

One of the best ways to understand any city is through its food and stories, and a walking tour brings both together in a really natural way. On this visit, we joined a guided culinary and pub walking tour that took us through historic taverns still trading today, along with a few tucked-away eateries we might otherwise have missed.

There was plenty of laughter and a good dose of history woven in by the guide. By the end, we felt like we’d been let in on a few local secrets and discovered eating venues we were keen to go back and experience ourselves.

The tour finishes at the old tombstone wall in the park, a quiet reminder of the city’s layered past.

Hobart always surprises us and leaves us wanting to come back and discover more.

Catherine & Jeff